Merseyside - 261 places to stay

Merseyside stretches from the Wirral Peninsula out across the River Mersey , North of Liverpool to Southport and East to St Helens all proud to be known as Merseysiders. At the centre of it all is Liverpool and from here the success of the city has radiated out over the years and its impact has been felt in every one of these places and beyond. There is evidence that there was a settlement in Liverpool as far back as the Iron Age however the oldest building on Merseyside closest to Liverpool is in Birkenhead . Liverpool did not exist as a town until 1207 when King John signed a charter founding Liverpool.

Liverpool at this time was no more than a fishing port on the banks of the River Dee,
it was Liverpool’s proximity to the coast that created the City it is today. People from all over the world came here, the earliest trade links were with Indo-China resulting in the oldest established Chinatown in Europe which is still a thriving community today. Shipping, importing and exporting were all reliant on Liverpool and contributing to its growing wealth, the docks were probably the busiest in Europe at this time, from Africa came palm oil, timber and cocoa, whilst coffee and copper came from South America. North America brought tobacco and cotton, sugar and grain, in just one year,1850, Liverpool alone imported 1.5 million bales of cotton. The docks were a vital part of the trade and at the height of its fortune there were around 40 docks trading with virtually all parts of the world.
Liverpool did have a shipbuilding industry but as Liverpool’s success grew as a port then shipbuilding became less important and in 1828 William Laird started his shipbuilding works across the River Mersey close to Birkenhead and it was here that shipbuilding became an important feature providing jobs and incomes for the area.

When Liverpool was successful then it was only a matter of time before this success radiated out from the City.
Already there were grand buildings in and around Liverpool, Speke Hall, St George’s Hall overlooking Lime Street and acknowledged as the finest neo classical building in Europe, The Three Graces on which the Liver Birds overlook the city (The Three Graces being The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and The Port of Liverpool Building) and without generating the architectural list of all times we can must mention the Anglican Cathedral; the largest in Britain, the Metropolitan Cathedral designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd. Liverpool has an enviable and varied architectural history that visitors and residents are able to enjoy and appreciate as most of their buildings are open to the public and Liverpool has the greatest number of Grade 1 Listed buildings in the country. Even Lime Street railway station opened in 1836 was and is an architectural triumph with its single curved iron roof, at the time the largest curved iron structure ever built .

Liverpool’s success as a trading port continued through most of the 20th century but this was soon to change and Liverpool was to earn itself a reputation for its contribution to pop culture in the 1960’s. The Beatles arrived on the scene and they were to change the sound of pop music, the Mersey Sound had arrived. Liverpool’s two football clubs were enjoying success, Speke Airport (playing an important role throughout World War 2) and today better known as John Lennon Airport was growing in use. With its university Liverpool is also enjoying a reputation as a centre of excellence in learning. A trip to Liverpool is incomplete if you miss the City centre with its myriad shopping facilities, its clubs and bars, its theatres, the new docks with its designer shops and the Beatles Museum , and the nightlife. For those who prefer a flutter at the races then there are two racecourses, Aintree for the Grand National and Haydock where the De Vere Gold Cup is run. Today Liverpool is a truly metropolitan city as the European City of Culture 2008 award clearly demonstrates.